The origins of the Icart Castle-Palace of Torredembarra date back to the mid-16th century, when baron Lluís of Icart and of Agustí saw fit to build a new residence in line with the power and social standing that the family had reached.
The Castle, the only newly constructed Renaissance-style civil building still remaining in Catalonia, was designed as a residence/fortress to dominate the populace, which is why it was built at the highest part of the town, flanked by four bastions in the corners (of which two are still standing).
The work began in around 1565 and was completed -at least the most important parts- in around 1581. The designer of the work is unknown, but it is known that some of the architects from the so-called “School of the Region of Tarragona” (Escola del Camp de Tarragona) were involved, including Pere Blai who took part in the construction of the vaults located between the main door and the castle’s courtyard.
Declared a Cultural Heritage of National Interest, it enjoys the maximum legal protection conferred to the most relevant assets of Catalan cultural heritage.
Given that the building was not the main residence of the aristocrats, it began to deteriorate and fell into the hands of different owners who used it as a farmyard or an earthenware and pottery workshop8, among others.
On 17th September 1998, refurbishment work began on the building so that it could be used as the headquarters of Torredembarra Local Council. It was inaugurated on 25th March 2000. At present, the ground floor houses the public attention services and the municipal archive. On the second floor are the Mayor’s office, the debate chamber, the committee chamber and the offices of a large part of the general administrative services. On the third floor are the secretary’s office, the technical services and the political party offices.